Five reasons to believe in the Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles burst out of the gate last season with Chip Kelly’s offense befuddling opponents. They slowed down eventually and were knocked out of the playoffs by the Saints in the Wild Card round.

Philadelphia’s off-season was interesting, as they said goodbye to Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson. Was it addition by subtraction?

Here are reasons to believe the Eagles have what it takes to make a deep playoff run.

Nick Foles’ accuracy: While he didn’t break any yardage records in 2013, he did make sure that almost every time he threw the ball, it was going to hit an Eagle’s hands. In fact, Foles threw only two picks all season long. Now, he gets to head into the season without worries of a quarterback controversy, and can just focus on the offense.

(Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports)

LeSean and Darren: No NFL rushing leader has repeated his title since LaDainian Tomlinson did it in 2006 and 2007, so it’s unrealistic to expect LeSean McCoy to have another huge season. But in Chip Kelly’s offense, he will still have the chance to thrive, and the addition of Darren Sproles means defenses won’t be able to lock in on McCoy.

Connor Barwin has help: In his first year in Philadelphia, Barwin recorded five sacks, a pick and 58 tackles. He was the key to the defense. Now, he shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden by himself as the Eagles drafted linebacker Marcus Smith in the first round.

Chip Kelly, no longer a rookie: Kelly proved quickly — as is his way — that the high-paced offense he developed as a college coach could be adapted to the NFL. He now has a full year under his belt and knows his players’ skills even better. He has had an entire year to tailor his offense around them. That should frighten the rest of the NFC East.